Why not twitter?

Hello

I think I've misunderstood a key element of twitter when writing my post 

Why twitter?

As in the above clip I was only considering what impact or relevance messaging may have on the wider world. I thought it a litle vein of people (lol, says' me with a blog! I'm a TOTAL hypocrite).

Granted you can't deny that some people do use twitter because they think they're a bit special, I'm sure there are also some people who use it because they long for someone to take that level of interest in their lives. 

The missing piece of the puzzle. 

But I've realised that actually twitter is a very powerful tool to aid good mental health. (As apose to being a clear indicator of bad mental health.)

You're probably wondering how on earth this can be the case. Well... 

"the act of observing alters the reality being observed" - Common variation on Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle.

Whilst this principle is primarily designed to describe a principle of Quantum Mechanics. It also applies to psychology. 

The number of people that have said to me. "I can't join a gym, if I go by myself I'll never go." or "I've got to bet this done or my boss will be really pissed" or "I never thought I could do that, but my kids counting on me" or "My parents would be soo disapointed if I did X, Y or Z" 

There's something about pinning what we do, and how we act on the expectations, interation and needs of others. Just knowing that what you do it's just about you makes it more relevant. It makes you more determined to act appropriately regardless of what you personally want to do. 

The internal filter

I was driving yp to see my mum today and I realised that I was thinkblogging. (What's that?) Well, thinkblogging is when you discover you start thinking the same way you blog. Almost subconciously you apply boundries to what you think and structure your thoughts as if you were typing straight into a blog. You avoid certain topics that you wouldn't discuss on a blog, you think things through in a more structured way and you filter the way you think it just incase someone who knows you might read it and learn too much. Your thoughts become a blog post.

Because you're paying more attention as to how you think you naturally think differantly. I realised that I was thinking more positively, more protactively and I was thinking as if I was accountable for those thoughts, rather than them just being meaningless things that crop into my head. 

Being accountable to our thoughts by someone else can often be enough to motivate us to change our perception of things. 

What's this got to do with twitter?

Well you see, twittering isn't so much holding yourself accoutable to your thoughts as it is holding yourself accountable to your actions. Because your tweets are  public (even is no on reads them ( like this blog)) they have power. You wouldn't want to twitter your constant failures for the world to see would you? Something kicks in and you want to tweet the things that make you feel good. Even if you tweet something that seems meaningless like "I got to work and I was 5 mins late." To you this might actually mean your doing well today, because your normally 15 mins late. If you tweet "watching a film with my partner." You are probably actually saying to yourself, "I value my partner, we do fun things together, I'm happy". If you become a twitterdict  or twitter adict you probably find you exercise much more control over you actions because they suddenly seem to be more relevant. They carry meaning and they are of value, even if no one's reading them. 

Is this a new concept? 

No. There are many examples of how we've given relevance to things through our perception of what others might think rather than what we want. Here are a couple.. 

Keeping up with the neighbourhood. Ok, so the grass is getting a little long, but I'd rather be watching TV.... but what will the neighbours think? I'll do the lawn...

Religion. No one would notice if I did X, Y, or Z, but God (or Santa) would and he's keeping track. I can't be seen to fail in their eyes.

Deceased people. I would really like to do X, Y or Z and I know no one would care.... but my Nan said I shouldn't and I'd hate it if she looked down and saw me. 

These examples are arguable and really based on your own personal beliefs. In today's society we are less and less incluned to change our behaviour because of any of these values. These beliefs tend to seem more irrational than in the lives of our ancestors. They seem lesss real and therefore loose their effects. 

But it's much easier to have a solid belief and connection if you actually write something dwn and share it on the net. he person who's sitting in judgement, we may not know. But knowing that someone, somewhere may be. This pushes us on to be better than we otherwise would be.

So, why not twitter?

I'm forced to consider whether twitter would help me achieve my goals and be a better person through my actions in the same way I feel this blog is helping me to have more healthier thoughts.  

What would the world be like if we all twittered? Who knows. But for the first time I'm starting to think it might actually be a better place for all of us ot live. What do you think? 

Who's late night shopping?

Hello

I'm having one of those days where all the little things that go wrong appear like a huge mountain in front of me. Not being able to see the top, it seems almost impossible to think I have to climb it. 

On days like this I often revert to a need to buy something bad for me that I can't afford. Junk food, dvd's, maybe some beers. Which is how I ended up in the supermarket. 

Supermarkets are weird places, there probably the only time to see a complete cross section of society. There one of the places we so commonly find ourselves in, surounded by people but ultimately alone, annonymous. I swear in supermarkets these days you could drop dead and no one would notice. Especially the staff. I'm sure zombie films are made by people who used to work in a supermarket. 

But there's something quite reasuring about late not shopping when you're not feeling to good. You can be around others that are in exactly the same mood. First stop in the store is the DVD's. The isle's odly now been moved to the back of the store, so you have to walk past the stationary, home and garden products of all description and all manor of things on your way. The DVD aisle is always quite busy. Late nights especially, always middle aged guys with vacant looks. They don't pick up any of the DVD's, they never seem to buy them either. But they are always there. Occasionally moving along the aisle a bit when they think it starts to look a bit odd that they aren't moving along. Shoulder's slumped forward as if they have just lost all hope.

I managed to get 'Burn after reading' I've been waiting for it to come out on DVD for ages and I'm confident it will put a good dent in my mood and I move on round the store. 

I've forgotten what else I wanted, so wander aimlessly, passing aisle after aisle. Past the special Mothers Day section where I suddenly realise most people in the store are foraging for anything Mothers Day related. (Luckily this I sorted mine pressie ages ago.) Half of them carrying a bunch of flowers (which are starting to look like they've had their best days already). The other areas of the store are quite quiet. The odd couple, odd odd couples as well. They too have a vacant look in their eyes when they're looking at the shelves which the quickly hide when they start to talk to their partner "Shall we get 2 of these, or do you think one is enough?" or "Oh, this one's got mushrooms!" There's only so much fake excitement you can put into your voice when you're trying to sell the line "Oh, this one's got mushrooms!". Instead of solving their problem it is like a big sign appears over their head saying "Ahh, you're annoying me. Where did we go wrong?"

I get some milk and beer and head for frozen foods. Today's a day where Ben and Jerry's is certainly called for. Preferably Cookie Dough, half way through contemplating how big a tub I need I turn the corner to find a young girl staring at the Ben and Jerry's, her boyfriend spooning her from behind. He's trying to sound really interested in the conversation she's having about the merits of the differant types of Ben and Jerry's. Nibbling the back of her neck. Damn.... I really need Ben and Jerry's... I'll need to go a circuit of the shop and come back. 

Past the crisps aisle and the beer again, this time busy with a group of kids trying to work out which one of them looked the oldest, so they could by beer. Another suggesting that they try and get away with 'self scan'. I carry on, past the cleaning products and it suddenly jumps into my head. I need sink unblocker. Not really the reason I went to the store, but as I'm thier. Why not. 

Right, they must have finished in the ice-cream aisle by now, so I head back. They haven't. But they have moved on from the Ben and Jerry's section so I swoop the last big tub of Cookie Dough and make for the check outs. 

I just get beaten to a really good check out because one of the zombie's has managed to get thier trolley to block half the aisle and their ass to fill the rest. A brilliant skill which happens so often in the supermarket you'd think they were training people to do it. But, I'm getting distracted, where was I.

I make it to a check out which is facing the self scan. The spooning couple from earlier walking rather quickly past with a 2Litre tub of strawberry icecream, a big tub of Ben and Jerry's, huge bag of chocolate and crisps. They can't possibly be planning on eating all of that, so I'm guessing he couldn't wait any longer to get home and just grabbed anything in sight. 

I get served and asked for ID for the beer, which considering I'm 27 and you can drink here at 18 is a bit harsh. Normally this would be quite a complement, but the check out guy make it clear that he thought I was definitly over 25, but the computer randomly selected me for a check. (Yeah.. thanks for that. Like I wasn't feeling down enough before.) 

I pick up my bags and catch out of the corner of my eye the kids from the beer aisle just leaving the store with big grins on their faces...I'm guessing they weren't randomly selected for an ID check. 

With a flash back to the days when I used to attempt things like that... seeming soo long ago now. I leave the store feeling not only down but old as well. 

Oh well. Now I'm going to watch the film and devour my ice-cream. Hopefully that'll put me in a better mood. 

Night!